Hunt Early Season For Big Bucks!

Dave Maas

09/17/2014

When is the best time to arrow a mature buck? During the rut, correct? Not necessarily. For many diehard bowhunters, it’s tough to top opening weekend.

LeRoy Purrier hunts in southeast Minnesota, and for several years he and his buddy Joe Braun have managed a property for mature whitetails. The Minnesota archery season opened on September 13, and LeRoy didn’t waste any time filling his tag.

“I was hunting in a treestand overlooking an Antler King Honey Hole brassica food plot that Joe and I planted in August,” LeRoy said. “I’d been scouting that plot on and off throughout August, as well as the last couple of evenings before the bow season opened. And my scouting cams had captured tons of pics of the big buck during the summer.”

As it turned out, it was Joe who almost filled his tag first. “I saw the buck coming from 300 yards away,” LeRoy continued. “He walked right under Joe’s treestand when he first stepped out, but Joe couldn't get a shot due to tree limbs and early season leaves. I passed on four other bucks before this giant showed up in front of me, and I killed him at 52 yards. He was broadside and feeding in the plot.”

LeRoy made the long-range shot with his Mathews Z7 and an arrow tipped with an NAP Spitfire broadhead.

“We have sheds off of the buck from last year,” LeRoy said. “He’s 5.5 years old, measures 153 Pope & Young and has an inside spread of 21.5 inches.”

P.S. Don’t feel sorry for Joe. Below is the photo of the 150-class 5.5-year-old buck he shot only a day later (September 14) on the same property! LeRoy and Joe have numerous scouting cam photos of this buck, too, as well as the buck’s sheds.

Congrats to both Minnesota hunters on two massive opening-weekend bucks!